BIA airport substandard: CM

BIA airport substandard: CM

Yeddyurappa slams airport promoters for churning out mediocre infrastructure

By Bangalore Mirror Bureau
Posted On Wednesday, September 10, 2008
‘Substandard’.That’s how the Karnataka government described the new Bangalore International Airport (BIA) on Tuesday. The BIA, which had evoked mixed response from the general public ever since it became operational on May 23 this year, was given a thumbs-down by the first BJP government headed by chief minister B S Yeddyurappa.

Presenting his report card on completing 100 days in office, Yeddyurappa slammed the BIA project promoters for churning out mediocre infrastructure. “I am not happy with our international airport as it has failed to match global standards. What is international about it, the entire airport smacks of substandard work,” he said.

The CM, who recounted some good moments that he spent at the international airports during his trip to the USA last fortnight, came down heavily on hte BIA. “We cannot accept it. I really do not know how such a major project was allowed to come up when it has nothing to match international standards,” Yeddyurappa said. But the bitter remarks by the CM on BIA is not something new to Bangaloreans. The airport, since the time it was thrown open to the public, has drawn flak from the industry and air travellers. In fact, several prominent citizens, including Biocon chairman Kiran Mazumdar Shaw and Infosys director (human resources) Mohandas Pai, voiced their protest against the new airport under the banner of Bangalore City Connect Foundation (BCCF).

They had demanded that the government ensure that both BIA and the old HAL airport are kept open. Citing capacity constraints, experts had argued the first phase of BIA was built for 12 million passengers annually, but it has already crossed 11.4 million. With the BIA-bashing increasing, the CM too joined the bandwagon. “The international airport that we boast off is not up to expectations.

I have told the officials that if this is going to be the status, no entrepreneur would be interested in investing in the state,” Yeddyurappa said and added that his government would expedite work on construction of airports in all the district headquarters. “For investors, time is money. We have to put in place an efficient aviation infrastructure if we have to woo investors,” Yeddyurappa said.